Vaclav Prospal | Winger | #22

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Vaclav Prospal is okay with his retirement from hockey.

The soon to be 39-year-old inked a tryout with the Canucks AHL affiliate in Utica last week but decided to retire after one practice. "It was 'What am I doing here? Why am I not with my family? Why am I doing this?'," Prospal said. "So I called my wife. I called my agent. And that was it. I retired. And right after I made the decision, oh, a weight came off me. It felt like I was finally free of all the pressure. I don’t have to prove to anybody that I'm better than the guy sitting next to me. I don't have to fight off that guy fighting for my job, or the other guy trying to take my spot on the power play. I just felt such a relief." Prospal had 255 goals and 765 points in 1,108 NHL games with seven teams. We wish him well in retirement. Thu, Jan 30, 2014 08:27:00 AM

Prospal seemingly had the opportunity to extend his career by signing with Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Utica, but he decided it was time to hang up his skates. "I loved playing hockey, I loved scoring goals and I loved being a part of the NHL for so many years," Prospal said. "That said, within minutes of me stepping on the ice for practice last week in Abbotsford, I knew that I wanted to focus on something that was more important than hockey, my family." He had 255 goals, 765 points, and 581 penalty minutes in 1,108 career games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, and Columbus Blue Jackets. Tue, Jan 28, 2014 12:26:00 PM

On the verge of signing a minor-league tryout contract with the Vancouver Canucks’ organization, former Blue Jackets forward Vinny Prospal opted instead to retire Friday.

Prospal, 38, played 16 seasons and 1,108 games for seven organizations. In 130 games with the Blue Jackets, he had 28 goals and 57 assists and became known around the league for his over-the-top goal celebrations. Prospal delighted many Jackets fans during a win over the Detroit Red Wings late last season when he emerged from a scrap with defenseman Niklas Kronwall and pointed at the scoreboard to taunt him. He had made it known through his agent, Ritch Winter, that he wanted desperately to re-sign with the Jackets, but the team wasn’t interested, even after a slow start when it struggled to score. The Jackets wanted to leave ice time available for young players such as Ryan Johansen, Cam Atkinson, Matt Calvert and Jenner. Sat, Jan 25, 2014 09:54:00 AM

Prospal has already informed the Vancouver Canucks of his decision after turning down an offer to play for AHL Utica. He had an up-and-down career, but when the dust settled, he had a remarkable 255 goals and 765 points in 1,108 games. Fri, Jan 24, 2014 01:32:00 PM

Depth Charts

Alexander Wennberg has one goal and six helpers during a four-game point streak.

Wennberg had a big game against Montreal on Monday with a goal and three assists. He has been a disappointment this season with 31 points in 55 contests. Wennberg could still finish the year on a high note.

Brandon Dubinsky scored a goal but the Columbus Blue Jackets fell to the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Dubinsky's goal tied the game at 2 midway through the third period until Nicklas Backstrom scored with just 42.9 seconds left to give the Capitals the late victory. It was Dubinsky's first goal since December 1st, and he now sits at four goals and 13 points in 35 games.

Mark Letestu found the back of the net in his return to the Blue Jackets.

Letestu had played in 233 games with Columbus prior to Monday's action, but he left the team in 2015. On Sunday, the Blue Jackets reacquired him from Edmonton as part of a three-team deal. Letestu logged 13:13 minutes in the contest.

Panarin kept that run going with an assist in the Blue Jackets' 5-2 win against Montreal Monday night. In addition to his point streak, he's also now been on the scoresheet for 11 of his last 12 games. He's up to 21 goals and 61 points in 70 contests in 2017-18.

Boone Jenner scored his 10th of the season in a 2-1 win versus the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Jenner has now extended his points streak to five games after his goal against Ottawa Saturday night. Jenner has also scored in three straight games for the Jackets. Markus Nutivaara was the only other goal scorer for Columbus on Saturday. Jenner now has 10 goals and 26 points in 65 games.

Markus Hannikainen will be a healthy scratch in Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators.

Hannikainen has two goals and two assists in 29 games this season. This is the 11th consecutive game he'll watch from the press box. Look for Scott Harrington, Taylor Chorney, Lukas Sedlak and Dean Kukan to also serve as healthy scratches in this one.

The sniper has scored six goals and registered 12 points over that span and is thriving on the Jackets' top line alongside Pierre-Luc Dubois and Atremi Panarin. Make sure Atkinson is in your lineup for Saturday's game against the Senators.

Josh Anderson (knee sprain) will miss approximately four week of action.

Anderson suffered the injury in Monday's win over the Washington Capitals. It's a pretty significant loss for a Blue Jackets team that's battling for their playoff lives. Anderson has 18 goals and 29 points in 61 games this season.

This looks to be strictly a rental as the Canucks will get Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen in return. Vanek will definitely help out the woeful Columbus power play and see top-six minutes in five-on-five situations. Vanek has 17 goals and 41 points this season in 61 games and was a healthy scratch Sunday as the Canucks did not want to ruin a trade if he got hurt. He is worth picking up in deeper pools at this time.

Bjorkstrand had only one assist in his previous 13 games so perhaps this was a confidence builder for the 22-year-old. He has nine goals and 29 points in 55 games and has some fantasy value in deeper leagues.

It was the second straight game that Milano has found the back of the net and it's his sixth goal in the last 11 games he has played. Milano has 16 points this season in 39 games and has been down in the minors on a couple of occasions as he has yet to fully make the transition to full-time NHL player.

Werenski got there by scoring the game-winning goal in a 4-1 win against Vegas. That was the sophomore's 13th goal of the season, which puts him in a three-way tie for third place among defensemen. That's pretty impressive given that he endured a 25-game goal drought that was snapped on March 2.

The extent of the injury has yet to be confirmed but Jones was dealing with an upper-body issue earlier in the week. The Blue Jackets have decided to hold him out and Ryan Murray is expected to draw back into the lineup. Consider Jones day-to-day.

"It's never good to let things fester, hold everything in," Johnson said. "I've been holding a lot of things in for many years here. Yeah, it's out. I own it, and I have nothing to hide. That's the situation. Like I said before, you're just trying to do what's best for your family … I think any husband or father can relate to that." Johnson is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and he's looking to sign what could be his last big contract. Meanwhile, his role with the Blue Jackets has declined this season, in part due to his inconsistent play, so he feel that an opportunity elsewhere might be best for him. As far as Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella is concerned, he trusts Johnson and understands where the blueliner is coming from. It doesn't seem like Johnson's trade request will make things awkward and as long as he's with the Blue Jackets, he should continue to do his best.

Murray missed the last two games due to his mysterious ailment. He'll come back into the lineup for the injured Seth Jones. The former second overall pick has no fantasy upside with just six points in 34 games this season.

Ian Cole has helped David Savard regain his form on the third pairing for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Savard had struggled before the trade for Cole at the deadline from Ottawa and that has helped the Blue Jackets as their third unit on the blueline is now effective. Cole has no real fantasy value in traditional pools but picks up hits and blocked shots and that helps poolies who use those categories.

With Ryan Murray (undisclosed) sidelined, the Blue Jackets decided to insert Markus Nutivaara in the lineup instead of Chorney. Chorney will be joined in the press box by Scott Harrington and Markus Hannikainen,

Scott Harrington will be a healthy scratch in Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche.

This will be the sixth straight game that Harrington watches from the press box. He has two goals and two assists in 31 games this season. Markus Hannikainen, Taylor Chorney, Lukas Sedlak and Jeff Zatkoff will also serve as healthy scratches.

Nutivaara received an expanded role with Seth Jones out of action with an injury as he saw power play time with the first unit. He did not disappoint as he scored his fourth of the season as well as first power play goal in his NHL career. He has 19 points in 54 games this season and if Jones remains out of action, Nutivaara gets a boost in his fantasy value.

The Avalanche scored the first two goals of the game, but the Blue Jackets responded by scoring the next four goals. Colorado ended up tying the game before Seth Jones scored the winner in overtime. Korpisalo has now won back-to-back games. He has a 7-7-0 record with a 3.19 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage this season.